THIS WEEK ON LATINOPIA: LUIS TORRES ON UVALDE ONE YEAR LATER, ANGELA VALENZUELA’S REFLECTIONS ON UVALDE, RICARDO ROMO ON CESAR MARTINEZ AT MOMA, HECTOR GALAN ON WRITING THE DOCUMENTARY AND HECTOR GALAN ON THE DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEW.
Sadly, this week marks the anniversary of the senseless murder of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. One might expect that a year later the elected officials and other “authorities” in Texas politics would have banned the kind of arms that made the Uvalde massacre possible. But that hasn’t happened. What has happened, instead, is that we have seen more mass killings in Texas and nationwide. Luis Torres wonders why we are accepting “active shooter drills” as normal these days. When will we stop accepting that the future of America will be riddled with periodic mass killings? He asks us to consider not accepting as routine the “active shooter drills.”
Also on the anniversary of Uvalde, we report the insightful reflections of Dr. Angela Valenzuela. She wrote this piece back in 2022 but much of what she has to say still holds true today. It’s worth of rereading so we are reposting it here.
Also this week, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Hector Galan speaks to Latinopia about two steps in the process of making his award-winning documentaries. One is how one “writes” for a genre that often involves cinema verite filming. While words are important, Galan reminds us that the very act of putting together scenes is “writing.” We also post Galan’s unique approach to the documentary interview. Having covered a wide range of topics and interviewed many different individuals, he shares with us his secret to eliciting truthful answers from difficult or unresponsive interviewees.
And lastly, Ricardo Romo’s Tejano Report returns. This week Ricardo celebrates the purchase by the Museum of Modern Art of three pieces by San Antonio artist Cesar Martinez. This marks a high point in the career of this amazing, pioneering and prolific Chicano artist. Don’t miss the visuals but also Ricardo’s in-depth essay on Cesar’s career trajectory.
Enjoy your week on Latinopia!
Tia Tenopia